<p>Rice is a really good match for my son, but we would not be able to afford it without merit aid. Do you think he has a shot?</p>
<p>gpa: 3.94 unweigted, 4.6 weighted
SAT: 1520 cr+m
SAT Subject tests: Math2 800, Spanish 700
Extracurriculars include debate, math team, varsity soccer, creative writing and yearbook, etc.
He is a good math/computer science student planning to major in computer science</p>
<p>Your son’s stats sound very very similar to tons of qualified applicants. Very much in range to get in.</p>
<p>Rice’s scholarships are less based on stats and more on other factors such as extra curriculars, research, leadership and community service. There are some scholarships for outstanding applicants in a particular field (in your S’s case, the engineering one) but I couldn’t even speculate on the odds of getting that.</p>
<p>Check out the merit aid page here: <a href=“http://financialaid.rice.edu/scholarships.aspx”>http://financialaid.rice.edu/scholarships.aspx</a></p>
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<p>I’m not trying to dissuade you from trying and applying, just stating that merit aid is hard to come by. Also, I simply to not know enough about your Son based on the criteria above to even speculate.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>Honestly, I know my son has applied ot Rice, and also needs merit aid. His stats are much higher, and maybe I’m just a pessimist, because I will be amazed if he gets any there are SO many other highly qualified kids. But who knows, he still applied, since they waived his app fee due to his scores. </p>
<p>@ZBD5421 Did you visit the campus? My sons fee was waived as well, but thought I read somewhere they waive fee if you’ve visited - but maybe it is due to score? (I certainly would like to think that :)</p>
<p>The waived fee is usually based on some scores or information available. It is a marketing tool to encourage qualified applicants to consider Rice.</p>
<p>It has no bearing on admission or merit aid however. There is likely some overlap, but they are not dependent.</p>
<p>Thanks guys. I’m still really on the fence as far as whether to visit. It is really expensive for us and this is such an awkward time to travel, around the holidays. But if we wait too much longer, I’m afraid the visit will not even get on the radar with the admissions people. </p>
<p>Out of all the schools he applied to, I think Rice is probably the best match, from everything I’ve read. However I know it is extremely competitive, and the fact is, we really need full tuition somewhere for him to attend. So I’m thinking it’s probably not worth spending $1000 or more to visit a school where the chances of a full tuition scholarship for my son are fairly small. He is a good math student (scored 800 on the math part of the SAT and another 800 on the Math2 subject test), but his community service, extracurriculars, etc. are probably about average for the population applying. He has won a few math awards, but nothing extraordinary.</p>
<p>It’s a hard decision, but I’m leaning towards not visiting. :(</p>
<p>@chris17mom - There are many other ways to show interest. I would not recommend making the trip if it is a financial and time burden. See this link for other options: <a href=“Office of Admission | Rice University”>Office of Admission | Rice University;
<p>Thanks! We are trying to get an interview set up soon. He will just have to show interest in other ways besides visiting.</p>
<p>Definitely use the interview as both a chance to show interest and also to learn more about Rice. The interview will be with an alum, so it is a great chance to talk to someone who has experienced Rice fully.</p>
@chris17mom - I have to agree with @Antarius that “merit aid is hard to come by”. I have two sons at Rice - both CS majors. One was Natl Merit Finalist; the other, Natl Merit Commended, but neither received financial aid from Rice.
You mentioned that your son could only attend with a full scholarship, so I’m wondering why you didn’t mention financial aid grants or loans. As you know, skilled CS grads do quite well with regards to income.
Best wishes for your son!